


Strangers Like Me

by Taymatoes



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hybrid, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Hybrid AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-22
Updated: 2014-07-06
Packaged: 2018-01-26 02:16:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1671023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taymatoes/pseuds/Taymatoes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Becoming engaged to a princess he has never met is the last straw. Gavin is tired of being treated like a freak, like a failure, and just needs to escape for a while to think. However, when he is shot out of the sky Gavin meets a few people that change his outlook on being a hybrid in a world that refuses to acknowledge them as human.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm writing this with little established plot for funsies because this idea has been harassing me lately and I needed to get it out. Bear with me here as I just word vomit everywhere.

Gavin woke up in a nest of feathers, which was starting to become a less unfamiliar kind of morning. He carefully rolled over from his stomach and sat up, stretching his arms above his head with a long yawn. His wings stretched until the feathers quivered. He could get used to this.

It had taken months, but he had a small victory when he convinced his parents that he did not need to sleep in his harness. If someone invaded the castle in the middle of the night, it would not matter if they saw his wings or not.

There was a knock on the door. “I’m coming in young sir.” A woman’s voice called from the other side.

“Wait a second,” Gavin jumped to his feet, scattering feathers everywhere. He glanced down below his waist and realized that he was not wearing trousers. “I’m indecent!” He squawked and rushed to his wardrobe.

“Oh calm down,” the door creaked open and his nurse poked her head in. “I have cared for you since you were a babe, you in the nude is nothing new to me.”

Gavin squeaked as he finally grabbed a pair of trousers and shoved them over his matchstick legs. “That doesn’t mean you can just come barging in!” He protested, but he knew it was no use. She already bustled around the room collecting feathers and throwing them into a basket.

“I swear child, you are a restless sleeper to shed this much.” She tsked, a smile spreading across her face at the sight of Gavin’s wings spread out wide. It was a sight very few were allowed to witness.

Gavin wished he could see such awe and joy on his parents’ faces but they refused to see him without his harness. His eyes flicked to the black cords that hung from a hook on the wall, taunting him. “Think I could go to breakfast without them?” He whispered, quickly regretting his words and hoping she didn’t hear.

Unfortunately she had. The nurse sighed and smiled sadly. “Not today, dear. Your parents have a special announcement and asked you join them in the parlor. And I would rather not disobey the king, he appeared particularly grumpy this morning.”

Gavin sighed heavily. Being a prince was bad enough. It was even worse when you’re everything your parents despised.

His wings cramped in seconds, but it was a dull, familiar pain. As they were pressed to his back by the leather straps, the only solution Gavin had was to grin and bear it as the Nurse assisted him into his shirt and adjusted a green cloak over his shoulders, it was impossible to tell Gavin possessed wings at all.

He was acceptable.

His parents were waiting, stiff-backed and purse-lipped as he shuffled into the room. Gavin suppressed a shudder as their eyes traced his features before the king gave a slight nod of approval. He was allowed to sit.

“Now Son, we have something to speak to you about.” His mother spoke, reaching a hand out to touch his knee. However, he fingers only lightly grazed his pant leg, as if it took all restraint not to recoil in disgust.

“Our negotiations with the West Kingdom have gone well,” his father began, as if Gavin was supposed to know what was being negotiated. He tried to hide this by grabbing a biscuit from the table and shoving it into his mouth. “And you are to marry the princess and create relations between our kingdoms.”

Gavin choked. Agonizing pain erupted in his back as his wings attempted to react with the rest of his body but were restrained. It took all of his willpower not to cry out. “What do you mean marry?” he sputtered.

His father’s eyebrows disappeared into his hairline as he gave Gavin an incredulous look. Then they fell, lining his aging face with a frown. “I think you understand. It is your duty, as heir to the throne, to ensure the future of our kingdom. Marrying someone of royal blood is part of that responsibility. She is a refined young women and you would—“

He wouldn’t be able to finish. Gavin jumped to his feet and ran. There was a shout over his shoulder, but then a harsh whisper from his mother, warning that Gavin might just need space.

Back in his room, Gavin flung away the cloak, tore off his shirt and with shaking fingers removed the harness. His wings expanded, nearly hitting the walls as the young man paced. He was only sixteen, he had no interest in getting married, and if his parents could barely stand him, how could this supposed princess? He had never met this princess before, how was he supposed to become her husband? Especially when he was—well – him? No princess would willingly marry him if they found out.

Gavin caught sight of his reflection in the mirror hanging above his desk. A manic face and a cloud of feathers stared back at him. Spawnmutt. That is what he heard the guardsmen whisper behind his back. It was what they had called Dan to his face. It was short for spontaneous mutation, two humans having a hybrid child.

It was a disgrace. That is why Gavin had been hidden away from the public his entire life. He had never been outside the castle walls for as long as he could remember. His parents could not bare to have the kingdom see what they have created. A monster. Usually, spawnmutts and hybrids in general were banished to the outer reaches of the kingdom. Tiny little slums where they were shoved together to slowly starve to death.

He had been spared that fate because he had royal blood.

Gavin let a scream rip from his lungs, filling the silent room with noise and for a moment, his head was clear. He had to get away. He was not running away, but Gavin needed air and space to think. There would be just enough time to wander before the guards caught him, Gavin figured. While all paths on foot were blocked, maybe he could take to the air.

With a hurried pace, before someone arrived at his chamber to retrieve him, Gavin threw various objects from around his room in a pack. Little scones the maid had left in his room, a skin full of water that had been prepared for his walk around the courtyard, and a few gold coins he had collected. However, once everything was thrown together Gavin needed to stop looking like royalty.

From the back of his wardrobe, Gavin pulled out one of his best-kept secrets. It was a small chest, dusty from its hiding place, and untouched in the past few years. After Dan had been forced away, Gavin had scrounged together whatever scraps of his friend he could find. Clothes, toys, drawings, anything that had belonged to the only person that understood him had been shoved away in this chest.

If his parents ever discovered it, they would have it burned immediately.

At the bottom of the chest was an old shirt and pair of trousers. While Dan had been gone for almost six years, he had always been bigger than Gavin. As Gavin slid on the trousers, they were a bit snug and high on the ankles, but otherwise fit beside the unsightly hole in the seat. His wings would cover it. He then grabbed the scissors his nurse had borrowed him and cut slits in the shirt, allowing his wings to slip through them. 

Gavin glanced toward the mirror. In common clothing, he looked closer to a skinny, underfed, little street rat. He ran his fingers through his oiled hair, making it stand up in all directions. He felt the nubs of persistent feathers that kept trying to grow amongst his hair. Normally, his parents would order to have them pulled, but Gavin rather liked them. When they were allowed to grow, they gave his hair more character.

They made him feel more like himself.

Carefully, Gavin opened the large window that faced out into the woods. It was one of the few places Dan and him had been allowed to play with reckless abandon. The far end of the trees was cut short by a wall to keep the rascally children inside castle grounds, but it had blocked them from view.

Dan could make all the noise he wanted and Gavin could take flight without worrying about being spotted. Gavin hadn’t been back in those woods since Dan was sent away.

Gavin perched on the railing that cut him off from a steep fall. He slung the knapsack over his shoulder and spread his wings, feeling the tickle of wind between his feathers. 

He just needed to get away, somewhere the guards couldn’t find him. Gavin needed to return on his own terms. His parents would be furious, but marrying this unknown princess was the last straw. He was tired of disgusted stares, the way his parents feared to touch him. He was tired of being hidden away.

The wind carried him. There was no room for a fear of heights. Gavin wanted to be so high in the air he would only be a speck to everyone on the ground. His wings carried him higher and higher until the air was thin and an exhilarating rush filled him.

Below him, villages whipped by in a blur like bugs on the ground as he soared. He hollered at the passing dots that were people, enjoying a breath of freedom he hadn’t had in a long time. He did twists, turns, loops, and flips through the air until his wings became sore. His throat ached with the sheer amount of yelling he did as he zipped around with wind. He had gotten away to think, but as it would turn out, a moment without thought is what he had needed.

The noon sky had melted into orange, red, and yellow of a sunset. The first of the stars had started poke out over Gavin’s head. He needed to land for the night. The dancing spots of fire below him told the hybrid where each village was. He swooped lower, searching for somewhere to sleep.

Gavin had failed to notice he was about to soar over a wall. The turrets faced inward toward the tiny town, and inside these turrets were guards. Gavin also failed to notice the glint of a crossbow focused on him.

He almost did not feel the first bolt pierce his wing. He only noticed as he started to plummet toward the earth, his wing unable to keep his body in the air. The second burrowed into his shoulder, red blood splattering the front of Gavin’s shirt. Pain exploded across Gavin’s chest in a blue-white flash, sparking in his head and speckling his vision until everything was only a blur.

Then the ground met his back and the world disappeared completely.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am spitting these out as I finish them, so little to no editing is done, apologies.

Gavin woke up six times. The first five felt like dreams.

The first was almost immediately after he hit the ground. His whole chest was one massive pit of agonizing pain. It was burning hot and numbingly frozen at the same time. His head spun and his thoughts were shattered like glass and trying to pick up the shards only caused his fingers to bleed. Someone grabbed his arm, a panicked voice barking orders to another strong set of hands. They dragged him across the ground.

He blacked out.

The second he was cold, so cold. Rain had started to fall and he was still being moved. However, this time there were more than two pairs of hands. He was being carried, a collection of voices mingled together inside Gavin’s head, unable to tell any words from one another.

He blacked out.

Gavin was warm the third time. He was buried deep in blankets; a fire crackled only a few feet from his face. It casted halo-like lights across a beautiful face with soft blonde hair and a set of wings that same downy brown as Gavin’s. He tried to reach out for one of the feathers, but pain shot across his shoulder and he let out a yelp. She chuckled softly and smiled. “It will be alright, baby bird.” She promised him. Before he blacked out once more, Gavin was convinced he had just seen an angel.

The fourth time was not nearly as pleasant. Screaming erupted from a place Gavin could not see even when he attempted to lift his head. It was a bad idea; the pain was instant and brought him back to his pillow. Growling and hissing mingled together in a whirlwind of sound that made the pounding in Gavin’s head unbearable. His body shut down, his head refused to acknowledge this noisy world.

He blacked out.

The fifth time was silent. The fire was gone but the blankets still warm. Gavin was able to move slowly, rolling to a side to see a shape sleeping near him. In the dimness he recognized long black ears sticking out from underneath the blanket, twitching ever so slightly as the owner slept.

Soreness had replaced the pain, only flaring when Gavin chose to move. However, a heavy exhaustion still plagued his limbs and head. It felt like he would never have enough sleep. So, disregarding the figure with unnaturally long and furry ears, Gavin rolled back over and fell asleep.

The sixth and final time he woke up, the fire was back. Before he opened his eyes, Gavin could feel the heat on his face. Slowly, adjusting to the light as he went, Gavin opened his eyes. A figure sat in front of him, leaning against the wall with a leather-bound book in his lap. Gavin had only seen books like that in the royal library, so he half expected to see a scholarly man behind the cover.

However, as the boy lifted his gaze he was met with a surprising sight. The man behind the book looked tired with dark bags underneath his eyes and a thin white scar decorating his left cheek. Soft gray-brown ears poked out from the sides of his head, twitching slightly as his eyes passed over the pages. Thick, heavy-looking horns curled emerged from his hair and curled around his ears, the points sticking out near his chin. 

A hybrid. The only other hybrid Gavin had ever seen had been Dan. And it could read, something Gavin had been told to doubt his entire life. Hybrids were uneducated savages was the lesson he received again and again. Yet, one was reading right before his eyes.

“Oh, you’re awake.” The voice jolted Gavin out of his thoughts and found the ram’s dark blue eyes were focused on him. “Well, that will be a relief to the others. We didn’t need a dead stranger in our house.”

“Who—“ Gavin began to ask but each word was a piece of sandpaper against his throat. He was so thirsty.

The ram immediately dropped his book and scrambled to his feet. “Your water skin is around here somewhere.” He practically muttered to himself before scrambling off. 

Slowly, Gavin managed to raise himself into a sitting position. The room was small with only a fireplace with dying, charred logs, a single unoccupied wooden chair, and another pallet on the ground. That was where the figure with the long furry ears had been sleeping. Maybe that hadn’t been a dream after all.

Then Gavin took a closer look at himself. His chest was wrapped up in thick, pink-stained fabric and as he tried to stretch out his wings, a ripple of pain came from the right. It was similarly wrapped in an attempt to keep his blood inside his body. 

“Give it here, I can take it into him.” A voice, this time a woman’s, came from outside the room. “We can’t both fit in there, not when your head is thicker than your horns.”

The voice belonging to the ram made an indignant sound, but there was a slosh of water as the skin exchanged hands. And the person the entered was the angel. Gavin had almost forgotten about her, but yet she was here in front of him, and he wasn’t about to black out.

She sat down next to his bed and handed the water skin to him. Without a word, Gavin unscrewed the top and greedily drank until he needed to stop for a gasping breath. “Thank you.” He managed to squeeze out before nearly doubling over in a coughing fit.

The angel smiled and Gavin noticed that she was not an angel after all. She still had the soft downy wings, but they were real and solid like Gavin’s. She was a hybrid as well. “My name is Griffon,” she said, reaching out slowly to tug at the bandages around Gavin’s chest. “We’ll have to change these soon.”

“Your name is fitting,” Gavin wanted to chuckle, but the attempt only caused him pain. “What happened to me?” He asked, his gaze following her hands as she started to unwrap the bandages.

“You were shot down by the guards at the wall. They make sure that no one gets in or out by air, you were practically a sitting duck flying so low.” As Griffon removed the bandages, Gavin could see the ragged hole in his shoulder. If there had been anything in his stomach, it would be all over their floor by now.

“H—How did I get here?” Gavin asked once he stopped dry heaving, wiping nonexistent sick from his mouth.

“My husband found you and he is not the type of man that would let a kid die on the streets. Especially when he has people here that can help you.”

Gavin tilted his head. “Your husband? Is he the ram?”

Griffon chuckled. “That is definitely one way of putting. His name is Geoff; I would not recommend calling him the ram. And this is our home. Well, it is many people’s home.”

It was in that moment that the entirety of his situation dawned on Gavin. This was a hybrid slum; he had been shot down into a hybrid slum. It was here all of the hybrids were shipped off and stuffed into tiny houses with one another. Dan would have been sent to a place like this.

Gavin’s throat suddenly went dry again. What would these hybrids do if they found out he was the son of the man that was responsible for their banishment?

“Who else lives here?” Gavin asked quietly, hoping such a question would keep Griffon talking and away from any sensitive subjects.

It worked for a short while. She listed off a group of names, but Gavin was too focused on his own panic to truly listen. An instinct that he had long been taught to smother screamed to make a run for it. However, that was proved impossible when Griffon’s hands moved from Gavin’s chest to his wing. The pain of movement was almost unbearable.

“You won’t be able to fly for a few weeks at the earliest,” she murmured, unwrapping the bandage to reveal a very similar hole. “Wings are sensitive, they take time to heal.”

Gavin gulped nervously. If he couldn’t fly, then he couldn’t return home. Half of his mind practically sighed with relief, he did not need to face whatever punishment awaited him. However, the other half realized how absolutely mental this was. These were hybrids; dangerous, savage hybrids that according to his tutors were only out to kill.

Yet, they had saved him.

“So, tell me. What is your name and where did you come from, baby bird?” Griffon asked as she finished replacing the bandages on his wing.

Gavin stared down his hands, desperately trying to keep them from shaking. “My—My name’s Gavin and honestly, I’m from a place I’m just trying to get away from for a while.” He prayed that she accepted that answer.

And she did. Griffon nodded knowingly. “I understand that. Just let me ask one more thing then. You’re not some kind of criminal, right?”

Gavin’s head shot up, making him a bit dizzy. “Of course not!” He squeaked, appalled at the idea. His disgust only made Griffon laugh harder.

“It’s alright baby bird, I just wanted to know. We don’t need any more trouble around here.”

Gavin’s gaze went back down to his hands, a touch of guilt twisting up in his stomach. Maybe he would be less trouble if he were an outlaw. He couldn’t begin to imagine what would happen if he was found here. The royal guards only treated him humanely because he was the prince. After the incident with Dan, Gavin didn’t want to think about what would happen to his saviors.


	3. Chapter 3

For a few days, Geoff and Griffon were the only hybrids Gavin met. In the mornings, Griffon would bring in breakfast. It was not the tea and warm biscuits Gavin was used to, but after being asleep for nearly three days he was ravenous and didn’t complain. Also, for her limited supplies, Griffon was an amazing cook. When she left for her workshop, Geoff took over babysitting duty during the day.

At first, Gavin was leery of Geoff. The ram always walked in grumpy and half-drunk, slumping against the wall with the same book in his lap. He scratched at his horns and would start reading without a word. He wouldn’t even acknowledge Gavin’s existence until the hybrid made a noise.

“Are you in pain?” Geoff asked, eyes darting up from the book.

As Gavin had tried to shift positions, there had been a distinct flash of pain in his chest. “Yeah, is that bad?”

Geoff shook his head. “Just means the potion is wearing off. I will have to get Ryan to make another when he gets back from the fields.”

“Please, I’ll be okay!” Gavin squawked, flinching at a familiar twist of guilt in his stomach. He had been feeling it a lot lately. “If it’s too much trouble, I can handle a little pain!”

Geoff frowned deeply. “Forget it kid,” he crossed his arms. “We have all been in your situation more than once. There’s no point in treating each other like shit when the rest of the world does.”

With that, they fell back into their routine. Gavin stared out the dusty window to his right; Geoff slumped against the wall reading his book. The spine simply read ‘HISTORIES’ and it sounded rather boring, so he didn’t bother to ask about it. He was already bored enough.

It was on the fourth day that Gavin was allowed outside his tiny room. Griffon helped him onto his feet, and he was unsteady at first. “Your legs just need to wake up.” Griffon reassured him as she supported his weight and helped him limp into the main room.

There was a small kitchen with a stove and chipped wooden table on one wall. Along the walls were various pallets and beds for each member of the house. And in the middle was a fireplace constructed so that the slowly cackling fire could be accessed from all sides. When Griffon noticed Gavin staring, she laughed. “One of our housemates Jack is quite the carpenter. He built that for us so no one would fight over the spot by the fire in the winter.”

Gavin couldn’t hide the fact he was impressed. A hybrid was able to construct that? He was distracted enough that it took a moment to realize that Griffon was examining his clothes.

“Let me get you some of my work clothes,” she said with a sigh. “They should fit, and they already have slots for your wings.” Slowly, when they realized that Gavin’s legs weren’t quite strong enough yet to hold him up, she lowered him to the ground on one of the empty cots. 

She disappeared from the room in a flurry of feathers, leaving him on his own.

Gavin lazily counted the cots around the room and examined the walls around them. The one farthest from where Gavin sat, against the opposite wall, was meticulously neat with his blankets neatly folded. A large, beaten-up chest sat at the foot of the cot and even from this distance, Gavin could catch the strong scent of herbs. However, despite the neatness, the wooden wall next to the bed had been gouged several times, leaving long scars in the grains.

The next cot stood in sharp contrast to the first. Its blankets were strewn about, some even slumping onto the dusty floor like its owner had woken with a start. It was also covered in ginger fur that shone like gold against the dark wool.

The other cot was less significant; it was trapped in a limbo between neat and clean. Little scraps of paper surrounded the posts, slightly crumpled and dirty where someone had forgotten they were there and stepped on them. And finally, Gavin glanced at the cot he had been sitting on. It was neater, like the first cot, but Gavin was able to pick golden-red hairs out of the blanket.

Stacked next to his bare feet were papers with thin, neat handwriting. He was about to pick up the top page when the door swung open violently.

“I have a two minute break before I have to run across town. What’s left over from breakfast, Griffon?” Someone called into the house, and Gavin instantly recognized the long black ears. In his hand were several small slips of paper and a hurried expression was painted across his face. However, it relaxed when he caught sight of Gavin. “Hey, bird brain’s awake and moving. Good to see you up.” The rabbit practically bounced across the room and pulled a dark slice of bread. “I would stay and chat, but duty calls.” He waved the slips of paper in the air. He started to disappear out the way he had come in, but quickly popped his head back in. “Oh sorry, my name’s Ray!”

“Gavin!” Gavin called back, which caused the dark-haired hybrid to grin wide before disappearing.

Griffon came back into the room a minute later. “Was that Ray?” She asked, spreading out a shirt and trousers for Gavin.

“He seemed to be in quite a rush.” Gavin shrugged.

“Ray always wishes he wasn’t. If he were any lazier he would be fired on the spot, but he’s only a messenger that can dash across town in an hour, so they keep him around.”

Gavin smiled and tried to ignore the all-too-familiar twist in his stomach. More and more he felt like he was intruding on a family. Sure, none of them were related but they had a system figured out that made the best of a horrible situation. A situation that Gavin couldn’t help but feel slightly responsible. It was his father, after all, that exiled them to these walled towns, cut off from everyone else.

Quietly, Gavin pulled off the old clothes and replaced them with the shirt and trousers Griffon had given them. They fit better than Dan’s with clean slits for his wings instead of ragged, half-arsed holes and they fit his slim figure better. This didn’t bother Gavin; he had long-acknowledged the fact that he would never be muscular.

Dan had always been bigger and stronger than him, even when they were kids. His father had been one of the king’s bravest and most trusted knight in his council. A large, muscular man with dark hair and shiny silver armor with standing and royal favor that turned most men bright green with jealous rage.

That is what had made Dan’s birth as devastating as it was. With a tiny set of black ears and the beginning of a tail, the child was almost sentenced to die. It was better to have a dead son than a spawnmutt son. He was only spared when the king and queen produced their first heir.  
After many miscarriages and failures, their first healthy child bore signs of wings. However, the king and queen did not know when they would be blessed with another healthy child. 

It was that day Gavin was given his only friend. One spawnmutt received the companionship of another, and they were impossible to separate from then on. That was until the incident.

“Hey Gavin,” Griffon’s voice interrupted Gavin’s thoughts. “Have you tried standing back up?” She asked, offering a hand.

Gavin took it and stood, his legs felt weak but he stayed steady. “Yeah, I should be alright to walk.” He said, shaking out his wings. The motion almost knocked him over, but Griffon gripped his shoulder. “Sorry, not used to have my wings out all the time.”

There was a brief flash of confusion across Griffon’s face, and for a moment Gavin thought he might have blown his cover, until it disappeared. “Well, Geoff’s at work today so how about you come with me to my workshop? Some fresh air might do you good.”

Gavin smiled, glad for a distraction. “That sounds great,”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hahaha, sorry about this taking so long to update. I either write in spurts or I don't write at all and it's a horrible habit. I hope you enjoy it and I promise it won't take as long for the next chapter.

Gavin sneezed as sawdust filled his nose. He brushed aside the shavings as he tried to find the blade Griffon had requested. The large one, she said, not trying to overcomplicate the task for their young runaway. Yet, to Gavin, they were all large knives. He fumbled for a moment between two before picking up the longer blade.

“This one?” He called out, waving it in the air. Griffon had given up on telling him to be careful with her tools because a cut may be a better lesson than her words. 

“No, the OTHER large one!” She called with only a brief glance at the blade in question.

Gavin frowned and placed the blade down, grabbing the other one and handed it to the carver. He had accidentally become Griffon’s assistant after she brought him to her studio and found that he was useful. And Gavin had learned plenty about Griffon.

She was a wood carver and created beautiful designs on commission. “I sell them through a friend in the Capital.” She said one day, tracing delicate waves through what was to become a hairbrush. “It’s technically illegal and he receives the credit for my work, but it brings in coin.” She shook her wings and a cloud of sawdust erupted from them.

Quietly, Gavin wondered if any of Griffon’s work had found its way into the palace. It was stunningly beautiful, so he wouldn’t be surprised. His parents would probably have simultaneous heart attacks if they discovered their gorgeous works of art were crafted by a hybrid.

At the end of the day, the two bird hybrids emerged from the cramped studio and took turns brushing sawdust off each other’s feathers and clothes. “Geoff hates it when I track sawdust into the house and two of us might put him over the edge.” She said with a smile. She never spoke about Geoff with anything but fondness.

They walked home in companionable silence. The sun was starting to set on the horizon, turning the sky a watercolor mess of blue, orange, red, and purple with the first stars starting to poke their heads out. There was a curfew in place, everyone had to be in their homes by nightfall, but Griffon didn’t seem too concerned.

One of the first days, after Gavin had discovered the existence of this curfew, he directed his concerned questions to Griffon. She only smiled and admitted that between the six people in their home, they had nearly every guardsman in the area in their debt. “As long as they know who we are, they will leave us alone.”

When they reached the house, the air was thick with the smell of stew and several hybrids were squeezed around a too small wooden table. Even though only six, now seven, hybrids lived in this house dinner was rarely only that many people.

“Eyyy, Gavin and Griffon are back!” A voice howled as Miles turned to look over his shoulder. Fluffy black ears were perched high on his head and tilted in their direction as they walked in. He reminded Gavin of Dan in a way, though he was more dog-like. His girlfriend, Arryn, sat beside him with thick, glossy black wings and also waved as they walked in.

Kerry, their housemate and a mouse hybrid, stretched his arms across the table so he almost touched Ray. “Hurry up, I’m hungry!” He called, not bothering to look up from the table.

“Oh stop fucking whining!” Michael hissed, the back of his curly hair fluffed up slightly. A long ginger tail swung behind his chair, sweeping dust from the floor. The cat hybrid had made Gavin nervous at first. They had met on accident the day Gavin was allowed outside his recovery room. Griffon had sent Gavin with a few coins to buy lunch from a nearby stand and he didn’t watch where he was walking.

He slammed full force into the cat hybrid, sending them both stumbling backwards. Gavin landed gracefully onto his bottom while Michael stayed on his feet with ease. “

“Watch where the fuck you are going you shithead!” His words came out of his mouth in a string of hisses. His ears had been thrown back against his head and looked practically ready to pounce. It didn’t help his appearance that around his waist was a tool belt with a collection of scary hammers and other sharp objects.

Griffon had run out of her studio and glared at Michael. That was enough for the cat hybrid to shut up and allow her to clear the confusion. 

“O—Oh this is the bird guy?” Michael’s face turned a furious red at his own mistake. That was when Gavin realized that the messy bed with ginger fur belonged to this idiot. Before he could say a word, Michael gave a hurried apology and rushed back to work.

“Michael is the blacksmith’s apprentice.” Griffon said as she helped Gavin to his feet. “Despite the foul mouth and temper, he is a good kid.”

Despite the foul mouth and temper, Michael turned out to be a friend. After an awkward first few days, they started to get along as if they had known each other their entire lives. When he wasn’t working, Michael would take Gavin on tours of the town and when he was feeling less generous, the cat hybrid loved to scare Gavin by tackling him from behind.

They were a regular cat and bird.

Gavin squeezed between Michael and Ray, the lads, as Griffon took a seat next to Geoff at the head of the table. Ray slung an arm around Gavin’s shoulder and brushed some of the sawdust off his shoulder. “Dude, the messengers would take you in a second if you don’t want to deal with this stuff all day.” He said for the thousandth time. “They love messengers who can fly and read, isn’t that right Arryn?”

Arryn spread out her wings, almost knocking Miles in the head in the process, and nodded. “Of course! We would love to have you Gavin,”

Gavin only smiled and shook his head in response. As much as he didn’t want to think about it, he had to go home at some point. His parents were probably worried sick. Not for their son, but for their heir. Their bargaining chip, the husband that was supposed to marry the princess, they were worried about their power. Gavin wished he could stay here forever, take a permanent job like a messenger, be part of this family, he couldn’t. He hated his responsibility but it didn’t mean he could ignore it.

This was just a break from all of that.

“Nah, we want him back off.” Jack chuckled through a mouthful of food. Ryan had started to place bowls out in front of everyone filled with thick, warm stew. Jack was a carpenter with a scary appearance, but a huge heart. His ginger hair flowed into a beard with tiny golden ears popping out of the top of his head. He took another mouthful; Gavin could see the glint of giant incisors. He had asked Gavin about joining the crew because bird hybrids were always useful. They could get tools up high, but again, Gavin turned him down.

With all of the food served, Ryan sat down next to Jack, being careful not to knock the lion hybrid with his horns. The first time Gavin had met Ryan, he had been stunned. It was after he had returned from the studio with Griffon, as the day drew to a close, and everyone was preparing for dinner. At that point, Gavin had met everyone but Ryan.

Then there was a grunt and the sound of scraping wood. “You better not be ruining my door again Ryan Haywood!” Griffon shouted as she stomped out of the kitchen, leaving the rest of the house snickering.

“I’m sorry!” A deep voice responded before it yelped and Griffon walked back into the room with a cow hybrid by the ear. A giant set of horns protruded from either side of his head, nearly gouging the next doorway. He was covered with dirt and sweat, Gavin distinctly remembering Geoff or Griffon saying something about fields.

“Hey Ryan,” Geoff started, not looking away from the vegetables he was cutting. The cow hybrid wrestled Griffon off of his ear and turned toward him. “Gavin’s shoulder and wing are hurting, do you have the supplies to make another healing potion?”

That was when Ryan turned to him. “So Gavin’s your name.” He smiled and offered a hand forward. “Nice to meet you,”

Gavin nervously took his hand, which was awfully calloused. He silently wondered how someone with medical expertise ended up working in the fields. 

Gavin never really got his answer and even, a week later, as they sat around the table he knew almost nothing about Ryan. Honestly, as much as he knew about everyone, they still sometimes felt like strangers. Like Gavin would never fully understand what they go through, and honestly he probably never would.

So he quietly ate his food while listening to the family around him joke and play, desperately wishing that he could be a part of it. However, this wasn’t his family and longer he stayed here, the harder it would be for him to leave.


	5. Chapter 5

Griffon and Gavin went home for lunch. She brought out this brown, grainy bread she had made in the morning and handed a slice to him. And for a moment, they had peace while they ate. That was until others began to join them. Jack walked in, still shaking scraps of wood and sawdust from his mane. Ray came bouncing in as well; his work was slow that day and had been given a break.

“Arryn took my last few messages, she needs the tips.” He said, stretching his legs out across Gavin’s. He tried not to flinch away from the rabbit hybrid. For the last few days, he had been living with a constant knot of guilt in his stomach. 

“I saw Michael on my way here,” Jack said through a mouthful of food. “Once he’s done with his work he was going to join us.”

Griffon nodded and moved to pull more food out for the growing number of people.

While Gavin and Ray ate, the rabbit gave an animated performance of his day thus far. Gavin watched Jack stand and examine the fireplace. He tapped on various stones and pulled on a few. Then his eyes wandered to the window as a few figures cloaked in armor were walking toward the house.

Gavin struggled to swallow as he spotted them at the same time as Jack. There were three of them, one holding the king’s banner and the other two had swords on their belts. 

“Who is it?” Ray asked, leaning over to get a good look.

“The King’s lapdog, who else?” Jack sighed, walking back toward them. “Hey Griffon, did Geoff set aside our tax yet?”

Griffon emerged from the other room with a pouch that jingled as she placed it in Jack’s hand. “That should be it, we don’t want any trouble.”

Two of the armored men had walked away, leaving the third to approach the door. Jack was about to open it for them when there was a snarl. Ray had rushed to the window and rolled his eyes. “Well, we’re about to have trouble.”

“Fuck, Michael.” Jack muttered, throwing the door open. “I’ll deal with this, stay inside.” He warned Ray and Gavin as Griffon followed him out the door.

“What’s going on?” Gavin asked cautiously, creeping up to the window next to Ray. 

“Michael’s not a big fan of the tax collectors. Well, not a fan of authority in general. He starts fights whenever he can.” Ray only sounded exasperated by his friend’s antics. Gavin glanced toward the two, practically circling each other. All of Michael’s hair stood on end; his tail fluffed out, and even through the window Gavin could hear a faint hissing.   
The other figure was completely covered in armor. However, a long black tail stretched out from underneath his tunic and black ears emerged from his helmet. He seemed less aggressive, however he was definitely ready to defend himself. “I don’t want trouble,” the words were muffled but Gavin could still make out the voice. It was distinctly marked by the Capital’s accent, as Gavin’s was. “I am here under orders and nothing more.”

“Fuck your orders. We’re all struggling here and we don’t need you goddamn prancing about in your shit armor pretending to be the king’s prized hunting hound when you’re nothing more than a goddamn mongrel!” Michael screamed and Gavin watched, with some amusement, as his hair puffed away from his skull, his curls even more ridiculous than usual.

The guard’s hand flitted over the pummel of his sword. “I don’t have time for this.” He started to draw his blade.

Michael looked about ready to leap when Jack intervened. The lion hybrid wrapped his arms around Michael’s waist, dragging him backwards. Griffon handed the guard the pouch of coins. 

“Keep him under control,” the guard’s demeanor changed as he turned to Griffon. “No amount of power your family has can stop him from being arrested.”

Michael almost escaped Jack’s grip with those words, throwing kicks at his friend’s legs trying to break loose. 

“He’s not that bad.” Ray said, which snapped Gavin’s attention away from the scene. “I’ve had to deliver messages to him before and we’ve talked a few times. He only does this job so maybe one day he can go back to the Capital. Apparently there is someone he needs to get back to.” Ray rested his chin on the windowsill. “I’m no romantic but I feel for the dude.”

Gavin turned his attention back to window in time to see the guard finish speaking with Griffon. With the pouch tucked away, he used a free hand to pull his helmet away from his head and his face nearly knocked the wind out of Gavin.

His hair was shorter, his face more angular and tired, sweat and sun had turned his skin dark with lines creating creases in his skin. Still, Gavin could never mistake his friend. The wolf hybrid shook his head out before starting to walk away and Gavin found himself paralyzed. 

Dan. Dan. That was Dan. Dan his childhood friend, his only friend that had been ripped away from him. Ray’s words filled his head; Dan was trying to get back to the Capital for someone. That someone was him. Dan had been trying to get back to him. Dan was here; just feet away from him, and Gavin couldn’t get his damn feet to move. He couldn’t stop the name from running through his head even as his long-lost friend disappeared around the corner.

Dan had been thinking about him all this time. Gavin wanted to cry.

“Yo, dude are you okay?” Ray cut through his thoughts like a white-hot blade. “You’re pale.”

Gavin swallowed against the lump in his throat. “I’m fine,” he lied, standing on suddenly-weak legs. 

Michael was still fuming at dinner. “What a fucking prick,” he said, only picking at his food. Gavin’s plate was almost identical, but over time he had become a food-moving expert. From time to time, he only stuck small bits into his mouth, enough not to throw anyone off.

“He isn’t that bad,” Ray started, but was silenced by one glare from Michael.

“Don’t even start with that bullshit, sorry Ryan, but he’s just the king’s lapdog. He condemns his whole species just for royal favor. What a dick.”

“Don’t pretend like you wouldn’t do it in a split second,” Geoff waved his fork, not even bothering to glance up from his food.

“I fucking wouldn’t! I mean, who would want to live in the fucking Capital anyway? I heard they attack hybrids on sight if they are found. Like you need a fucking royal seal to even walk around.”

Gavin nearly choked on the tiniest bite of potato. He glanced up at Michael with wide eyes, why had he never heard of this? Was—was it really like that at home? His home?

The bird hybrid jumped to his feet in a flurry of feathers. His mind was clouded and he couldn’t stand it. “I need to go for a walk.”

“Be back before dark,” Griffon warned. “I don’t want a guard hauling your ass back after curfew in chains.”

“Yes ma’am,” Gavin choked out, trying to fake his typical cheeky tone but knew he failed miserably. He dashed out the door before anyone could twenty-question him.

He needed a moment to think and breathe. However, that was what got him stuck here in the first place but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.


End file.
